My wife Jane and I are in the process of moving, which is a struggle in the best of times.  I mention this only to explain once again why I have been absent from posting on this site for several days.  I have just put my computer equipment back into good enough shape to start writing here.

When perusing the news of the past week, my memories went back to a day of the 1960s. My dad woke up one Sunday morning and told my mom it was time to buy a new color television.  Hard to believe today with all the advanced video technology at our fingertips, but at that time, color TV was on the cutting edge.

My parents decided to go with a local company to buy our family’s first color television, HH Gregg.  My consumer connection to that locally-owned corporation goes back years with lots of purchases, from HD TV’s to car radios.

So it is with a great deal of sadness that I find Gregg’s is going out of business.  The hyper-competitive arena of electronics, along with the rising popularity of buying online, is making life tough for all brick & mortar operations.  Gregg is just one of them.

In a recent podcast with Fishers City Council Vice President Todd Zimmerman, I asked him about the many years he had spent working there.  At the time we recorded the discussion on March 10th, there were news reports that HH Gregg had a buyer and would continue, perhaps as a smaller concern, as the corporation emerged from bankruptcy.  Sadly, that deal fell through.  But you can listen to Todd talk about his days there, describing the workplace as more like being part of a family than a job.  You can listen to the podcast at this link.  The part about HH Gregg is near the end.

My biggest concern about all this centers on those still working at HH Gregg.  I think about all the people employed at their stores.  I think about all the people working at the corporate headquarters on East 96th Street.

It is always sad when a locally owned company goes away.  The Indianapolis metropolitan area has seen that happen on far too many occasions during my lifetime.  It is sad to see it happen once again.

But with all the bad news, we shouldn’t get too discouraged.  In Indy, and suburbs like Fishers, people are starting new businesses all the time.  Many will prosper and employ many people in the future.

What is happening at HH Gregg is sad.  It is part of my experience living in this area.  Let’s hope for the best in the future among all those losing their jobs.